"How much does it cost to build an app?" is the question we hear most, and the honest answer is: it depends on how you pay for it. There are two routes, and each one suits a different kind of business.
Route 1: pay an agency for the build
This is the traditional model. An agency designs and codes your app or online store to order, and you pay for the whole project, usually before or during development. For a store with a catalog, online payments and an admin dashboard, quotes typically land between US$15,000 and US$50,000, depending on scope.
On top of that comes what almost never shows up in the first quote:
- Hosting and domain, every month or every year.
- Maintenance and security updates.
- Every new change, quoted separately.
Upside: the software is yours and, if you sell a lot, it can be cheaper in the long run. Risk: you pay for everything before you know whether the app will sell.
Route 2: the commission model
This is what we offer at Andes Sync with our commission-based apps. You do not pay for development:
- A one-time setup of US$50 (charged in Colombian pesos), which includes cloud deployment and an address like yourbusiness.andesync.com.
- 10% of the sales processed by the app.
- If you want your own .com domain, it is US$12.50 a year.
Servers, support, updates and improvements are included. And if you have a month with no sales, you pay no commission.
Let's do the math
Say your store sells US$4,000 a month:
| Agency | Commission (10%) | |
|---|---|---|
| To get started | US$15,000 or more | US$50 setup |
| Each month | Hosting and support on top | US$400 commission |
| You keep from each month of sales | Your sales, minus fixed costs | US$3,600 |
At first, the commission model wins by a mile: you do not risk thousands before making a sale. But let's be clear: if your store sells a lot for several years, the sum of commissions can exceed what you would have paid for your own build. For example, at US$50,000 in monthly sales, the commission would be US$5,000 a month.
Which one is right for you?
The commission model usually makes sense if:
- You are just starting to sell online or do not know how much you will sell.
- You do not want to put up a large investment upfront.
- You would rather someone else handled servers, security and upgrades.
Your own build usually makes sense if:
- You already sell high, steady volumes online.
- You need very specific processes or complex integrations.
- You want the code to belong to your company.
At Andes Sync we do both: if your case calls for your own build, we handle it as custom software. In the free assessment we look at your numbers and tell you which one works out better, even if the answer is "you don't need an app yet".
What is always yours
Under the commission model the platform and the code belong to Andes Sync (that is why you do not pay for development), but your brand, your content and your customer and sales data are yours. If you ever decide to leave, give us 30 days' notice and we hand over all your data in Excel. It is all in the terms of service.
Want to see your own numbers? Try the calculator on the home page or request a free assessment.